Hawick
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Hawick (pronounced [ˈhɔ:ik]) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the south east of Scotland. It is most well-known for its annual Common Riding, which also commemorates a victory of local youths over an English raiding party in 1514, which in March 2007 was described by the Rough Guide tourism guide as one of the best parties in the world. BBC News
It is one of the furthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale and the largest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. It is also known for quality knitwear production and as the home of Hawick Rugby Football Club, one of the world's oldest and most famous sides. Another favourite sport in the town is Bowls. There are three clubs; Wilton, Hawick and Buccleuch, each holding a long span of history.
People from Hawick call themselves "Teries", after a traditional song which includes the line "Teribus ye teri odin", which may refer to the Norse gods Tyr and Odin.
Hawick lies in the valley of the Teviot at the point where the River Slitrig joins it. The A7 Edinburgh to Carlisle road passes through the town, with main roads also leading to Berwick (the A698) and Newcastle (the A6088, which joins the A68 at the Carter Bar, 16 miles south-east of Hawick). The town lost its rail service in 1969, but there is a regular bus service to the railway station at Carlisle, 42 miles (68 km) away. The nearest airports are at Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Rivalry between the small Border towns is generally played out on the Rugby field and the comical historical antagonism continues to this day, Hawick's main rival being the similarly-sized town of Galashiels.
Hawick has distinctive sandstone buildings with slate roofs. These can be seen close to the A7.
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[edit] Ba game
The long forgotten Hawick Ba game was once played here by the 'uppies' and the 'doonies' on the first Monday after the new moon in the month of February. The river of the town formed an important part of the pitch. Although the Ba game is no longer played at Hawick, it is still played at nearby Jedburgh.
- Picture of the ba game at Hawick dated 1904
- Letter to the Editor of 'The Times' on the Hawick Ba game (1928)
[edit] See also
- Sir Chay Blyth (Yachtsman)
- John Brunton Daykins VC
- Jimmie Guthrie
- Hawick Rugby Football Club
- Hawick Waverley Football Club
- Bill McLaren
- James Wilson (UK politician)
[edit] Teri Talk
Many local people speak the local dialect of Border Scots which is informally known as "Teri Talk". It is similar (but not identical by any means) to the dialects spoken in surrounding towns, especially Langholm and Jedburgh.
Some examples of words translated into the Hawick dialect follow.
One - Yin
Two - Twae
Three - Threi
Four - Fower
Me - Iz (or "mey"; see below)
You - Ee ("What ir ee daein?") or yow ("A tellt yow ti dae eet, no him!")
More - Mair
Town - Toun
Doing - Daein
Know - Ken
I don't - A deh (or "A dinnae")
You don't - Ee deh (or "Ee dinnae")
He doesn't - Hei (or "eh") disnae
Cigarette - Fawg
Foolish - Gimpit
[edit] References
- Census 2001. Population figures. Retrieved on August 17, 2005.
- Hawick News
- Visit Scotland's page
- Murray, James (1870-72, 1873) The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, London: Philological Society.
[edit] External links
- Hawick News
- / Hawick Legion F.C.
- Hawick Waverley F.C.
- Hawick Common Riding Website
- Hawick Callants Club
- Visit Scotland
- Southern Scots
- Old Photographs Of Hawick And The Scottish Borders
